Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the new leader of New Democracy. Demotix/Orhan Tsolak. All rights reserved.On 10 January 2016, Kyriakos Mitsotakis won the intra-party elections and became the new leader of New Democracy. The new party leader secured a narrow but clear majority over his rival, Evangelos Meimarakis, in the second round of the race (i.e. 51% of the vote).
Although not precisely a dark horse, not many among the New Democracy's electorate anticipated that Kyriakos Mitsotakis would ascend to the leadership of the party. The main reservations revolved around the candidate's outright endorsement of a non-populist and 'neoliberal' profile; his family lineage from the Mitsotakis 'party-clan'; and his popularity among key European actors who are not particularly amicable in Greece (e.g. Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel).
The main questions here are: what were the decisive catalysts that made Mitsotakis' victory possible against all odds? What can one expect within the immediate future?
